Boeing suspends 787 shipments for one month

Boeing has halted 787 part inflows into Everett for one month to allow its supplier partners to catch up on work on which they had fallen behind. The halt is to last 24 production days (4 full weeks plus 4 full days which will allow the suppliers to catch up to work for the follow on airplanes starting with LN 23 for JAL. There is some part shortages as well as some engineering changes that the suppliers have incorporated but need more time to fully get up to speed on them.

Work will continue on all the airplanes at Everett though so there won't any slow down of the pace of work there. LN 19 through LN 22 are in various phases of production with LN 22 just starting the final assembly process. Thus far all the planned deliveries are unaffected as Boeing has some production schedule margin built in.

Flightblogger, HeraldNet and the Seattle PI have stories on this late breaking news:


Breaking: Boeing halting 787 deliveries to Everett until June

Boeing 787 suppliers play catch up; Dreamliner work in Everett continues

Boeing holding 787 Dreamliner section shipments for 24 days

In a related story, a local Seattle TV station, King 5 News, says that Boeing is filling up the Everett flightline with built 787s that won't be able to be delivered until the certification is achieved. They are starting to run out of room at Everett an will soon store them at parking spots all around Everett Field including new the Future of Flight Museum.

Boeing problem: Too many 787s, not enough room

Lastly, a 747-8 breaking story. I was told earlier this evening that Boeing is now going to have a fourth 747-8F join the flight test program. The decision was just recently made. Boeing will now use LN 1424 (2nd production 747-8F, RC502) for test flights. This aircraft won't be equipped with test flight instrumentation and will conduct engineering test flights. No word on when it will join the test flight fleet. Currently it is parked out on the Everett flightline and is unpainted.